Devotions: The Upside of Aging

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 

2 Corinthians 4:16 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

                                                                                         

The previous verses talk about how we have in ourselves the light and hope of God. We have proof of His salvation and love within us through His Spirit. We have assurance of His promises, not only through the Bible, but also through our own lives and experiences. Because of these things, we do not lose heart. Even though our bodies are decaying and growing older, we know this is not the end. We have God’s promise of eternal life, which is not an earthly half hearted promise but one of surety. We have full conviction of it. The process of aging is natural, normal, and unavoidable. It is impossible to keep oneself young forever for we must all die one day, the end of age. The quest for physical youth is deceptive. Why spend so much time, money, and worry on something we cannot change? Something which will not last no matter what we do? Rather than focusing on aging physically, our focus should be on how we age spiritually and emotionally. Even though our bodies decay, we can still gain a strength and beauty from within which is far more attractive and long lived than the physical. If we seek God daily, deeply, we will be renewed within and gain a fountain of life and vitality that no physical drug, herb or lotion could rival. Don’t lose heart at the deterioration of your earthly body. Thank God that when you are weakest, then you are strong! Seek God’s strength and vitality! Seek His renewal!